LAS VEGAS – It may have seemed strange to some fans, and Alex Pérez Don’t be offended by that.
Perez (25-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) not only fought on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 55, he won. That’s something fight fans don’t see every day and Perez recognizes that. He heard jokes, insults and complaints.
Just as many commentators and critics wanted him to do, Perez was eager to fight. Due to injuries and other circumstances, this did not happen. But Saturday, it happened. Perez knocked out fellow contender Matheus Nicolau with a well-aimed right hook in the first round.
The victory may have meant a trying moment for outside observers, but not for Perez, who never lost faith in his abilities despite his inactivity.
“I mean, honestly, I haven’t changed,” Perez told MMA Junkie and other reporters in a post-fight press conference. “A lot of it is just mental stuff. Do not misunderstand me. When fights started getting canceled and stuff like that, I was like, ‘Damn, man. What is happening?’ I kind of felt sad and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can tell people that just because something is going wrong in your life doesn’t mean life stops. I have a son. I have bills to pay and things like that. I have to keep grinding. My boy Billy Bigelow said, ‘Put those feelings away, deep down, until it’s time to leave. I just moved on and listened to my team. I owe a lot to my manager, Jason House, Jeremy Luchau, Lance (Spaude) and coach Collin Oyama. …
“All these guys who stuck with me and told me, ‘Hey, you’re one of the best in the world.’ I train with these guys non-stop and I get to hang out with them. I knock Ricky all the time, I’m just going to put this one out there. I hang out with these guys all the time. Trust? Yes, I still have it, right? It’s just showing the world that I still have it and I think I showed that tonight.”
Perez, 32, said his lack of knockout power has made him a friendly target, the butt of jokes from those close to him. After Saturday’s performance, perhaps these jokes can be retired.
“Honestly, because all my friends always call me ‘Pillow Hands’. Now they can’t call me that anymore,” Perez said. “My friend was calling me ‘ASP’, Alex ‘Sleeping Pill’ Perez. Not because I was putting people to sleep. But because I was putting him to sleep every time he commented on my fights because I just knocked the guy down. This just shows that I am evolving. Obviously the footwork was a little different. I have a few things I’m working on that I haven’t been able to show. …But it was shown tonight. We will continue to work and move forward from there.”
Future top-flight matchups in the flyweight division have not yet been mapped out beyond the promotion’s May 4 title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja and rising contender Steve Erceg.
While other fighters may have called for a big fight or title shot, Perez, as he did during his skid of misfortune, chose to leave the decision-making to those who are employed to make those decisions.
Meanwhile, Perez will resume his role as “father.”
“Honestly, I’m not a matchmaker,” Perez said. “I’m a fighter. So whatever my management team and all those guys want to do, I’m willing. The most important thing now is that I’m going to hang out with my son. I’ve been away from him. Before the last fight, I I was away. Some things happened, so I wasn’t around him for most of the camp. I saw him during fight week, and then obviously I was here to help Cody Garbrandt and help Cynthia (Calvillo) with their fights, so I wasn’t there. I got to see them a lot.
“So right now, all I’m worried about and focused on is seeing my son and hanging out with him and letting him go crazy seeing me on TV, seeing me in real life coming and going. Let’s enjoy ice cream and pizza.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 55.
